This website is for Private Investors* only

*A Private Investor is a recipient of the information who meets all of the conditions set out below, the recipient:

Obtains access to the information in a personal capacity;

Is not required to be regulated or supervised by a body concerned with the regulation or supervision of investment or financial services;

Is not currently registered or qualified as a professional securities trader or investment adviser with any national or state exchange, regulatory authority, professional association or recognised professional body;

Does not currently act in any capacity as an investment adviser, whether or not they have at some time been qualified to do so;

Uses the information solely in relation to the management of their personal funds and not as a trader to the public or for the investment of corporate funds;

Does not distribute, republish or otherwise provide any information or derived works to any third party in any manner or use or process information or derived works for any commercial purposes.

Mining

Economy

Market Report

Companies

Currencies

Friday preview: US corporate news in focus

4.04

07:20 19/12/18

0.00%

0.00

Barring surprises, the economic calendar was looking rather sparse at the end of the week, with no economic releases scheduled in the UK and just one lone Fed speaker set to take to the podium on Friday, Chicago Fed chief Charles Evans, at 1710 BST.

857.43

09:10 19/12/18

0.59%

5.04

Against that backdrop, the focus would again be on the flow of corporate results in the States, with multiple medium-sized lenders set to publish their latest quarterly figures, including State Street, SunTrust Banks and Citizens Financial.

Results were also expected from General Electric and Honeywell.

Overnight however, investors would be waiting on Japanese core consumer price data and services sector activity for March and February, respectively.

Across the Channel, the key releases would be readings on Belgian and euro area consumer confidence at 1400 BST and 1500 BST, respectively, with the latter possibly impacting markets in case of a sufficiently large surprise.

Back in the UK, the focus would be on a trading update out of Reckitt Benckiser, alongside finals from Velocys.

Regarding the latter, analysts at Numis expected the biofuels refiner to report $1.2m of sales for its most recently-concluded financial year, with cash on hand at year-end seen at £2.6m, although post period-end it was augmented by $17.1m via a cash call.

Although it might still be too early in the year, according to analyst James Hubbard the main things he would be looking for were updates from management on full FEED award for the Mississippi biorefinery, progress on its integrated demonstration project and any information regarding the search for strategic investors for the Mississippi biorefinery.